


Yours Truly

by aretia



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, First Dates, Meet-Cute, Other, Red String of Fate, Royalty, amaya is aromantic, reader's gender is unspecified in most fics, spy AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 22:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16841320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: A collection of Gren/Reader self ship ficlets I did from a Selfshiptober challenge on Tumblr.





	1. Day 1: Meet-Cute

**Author's Note:**

> All fics from [this prompt list.](https://your-commander-gren.tumblr.com/post/178652198319/selfshiptober-prompts) Still accepting prompt requests through ask on this blog! You can also comment here if there's something you want to see.

You weren’t looking forward to rotating partners in your beginner’s dance class. All it meant was having to deal with other people’s sweaty hands and clumsy feet, not to mention embarrassing yourself in front of strangers. There was nothing that could make you enjoy the experience, until he showed up. 

“Hi, looks like I’m your partner for this round,” says the tall man who has just stepped in front of you, his striking red hair immediately catching your attention. “My name is Gren,” he says, and holds out his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” you say, shaking his hand. “My name is [y/n].”

“Care to dance?” he asks.

“Um… sure,” you reply. As if anyone would ever turn down someone like him.

The music starts, and Gren takes your hand, and places his other hand on your shoulder blade. He counts the beat out loud to help you get started, and then leads you in the dance. Your steps are small and hesitant, staring down at your feet, if only because looking at Gren’s face would be far too distracting.

“You’re too tense. Keep your eyes on me and focus on the beat,” Gren says, squeezing your shoulder.

“Okay,” you whisper, breathless. You look up, captivated by Gren’s ice blue eyes and his cherubic freckles. He smiles encouragingly as he leads you in the steps, and you realize to your surprise once you glide to a stop that you didn’t make a single mistake.

“You’re so good at this. What are you doing in the beginner’s class?” you ask.

“Uh… I’m the instructor,” Gren replies simply, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. His other hand is still holding yours even though the music has stopped. “I’m filling in today.”

Suddenly it clicks in your mind why you have never seen him in your class before. “Oh! Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” you stammer, dropping his hand and covering your face. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why?” he asks, with an adorable tilt of his head.

“Because I’m so terrible at dancing!” you explain.

“Hey,” Gren says, placing his hand on your shoulder, which makes a shiver run down your spine. “No one gets better without practice. I would be happy to help you practice sometime.”

“Really?…I would love that,” you agree. If it was a private dance lesson with Gren, learning how to dance would be a lot more fun.


	2. Day 2: First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/2

You run down the soaked sidewalk, rain boots splashing through puddles. You don’t think that a blind date your friends set you up with would bother waiting for you in the rain at an outdoor coffee stand, but it would be rude not to show up at all. If you’re right and the date stands you up, you’ll just pick up hot chocolate and go home, and never speak of this again.

You arrive at the coffee stand, and for a moment your expectations are confirmed. There is only one person standing there with a black umbrella, and he appears to be waiting at the counter, not looking around as if he’s on a blind date. Then, the waitress inside hands him two cups, and he fumbles to hold the handle of his oversized umbrella under one arm while he picks up both of the cups and turns around. He meets your eyes, and a smile breaks out across his face. His smile is so radiant that you could almost swear that the sun broke free from the clouds at that moment, even though the rain is still pouring. 

He tries to wave to you, then remembers the cups in his hands, and almost drops the umbrella again. You struggle to contain a giggle at his adorable clumsiness. “Hi, my name’s Gren. Are you [y/n]?” he asks.

“Yes,” you reply, and suddenly your nerves tense with the realization that this breathtaking man is your blind date. 

“You walked all the way here in the rain?” he asks, glancing at your drenched hoodie.

“Yeah…” you admit, self-consciously brushing back your damp hair. So much for looking good on this date, although he’s still looking at you like you’re a ray of sunshine in the rainstorm. “You waited here for me in the rain, so that’s not much different, is it?”

“Well, you got me there,” he says. He hands you one of the cups, and your fingers brush against his as you take it from him. “Do you like hot chocolate?”


	3. Day 3: First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2/2

Gren hasn’t been able to stop talking since you arrived at the date. Not that you mind. He’s so animated and adorable, the way his eyes light up when he gets excited about something. He talks with his hands–literally, as he apparently knows fluent sign language and sometimes forgets to speak out loud. You’ve always been a quiet one, so you enjoy listening to him while he does most of the talking, encouraging him to keep going whenever he pauses.

You’re sitting on a bench now, waiting for the bus to take you home, and you don’t ever want this day to end. Gren sits close to your side to hold the umbrella over both of you while the rain continues to pour. 

Gren leans over to wrap his arm around you. Except that requires moving the umbrella into his other hand, which makes it less subtle than he was probably intending. With him cuddled close to you, arm draped over your shoulders, and looking back at you with a sheepish grin, there is only one thought on your mind. 

You decide to go for it. You tilt your head up and press your lips against his, a gentle and chaste kiss, short and sweet before you pull away. You feel him tense with surprise, and you await his reaction.

For once, Gren is speechless. Then, a warm blush breaks out across his freckle-dusted cheeks, and you’re distracted by the thought of kissing every one of his freckles. The expression on his face looks stunned, like he was struck by lightning, so you ask, “Are you okay?” You worry that you did something wrong by making a move too soon, and the giddiness you felt starts to subside under anxiety.

Gren blinks out of his trance, and smiles. He tightens his arm around you and hugs you close, resting his chin on top of your head. “Yes,” he reassures you. “Definitely.”


	4. Day 6: Red String of Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/2

Everyone in your world has a soulmate. Except, for as long as you can remember, you have always known that yours is gone. The transcendent red thread that is supposed to bind you to your soulmate hangs limp from your pinky finger, the end of it dangling just a few feet away. That means that either your soulmate died before you had a chance to meet them, or more likely for your age, that they chose to sever the tie. They probably did it so that they could be with someone else, and it doesn’t make you jealous, since you never met the person fate chose for you. You only worry for them, because while the thread can be undone easily if both people choose to do so, one person can only sever the thread on their own by using dark magic. 

You don’t let it bother you much, as it is an unnecessary distraction in your busy life. You work as a cartographer for the army of Katolis, helping them explore uncharted areas of the kingdom. Over the years, you have grown close with the General’s lieutenant and translator, Gren, who always makes time for you and comforts you when he notices the slightest drop in your mood. You sometimes wish that he were your soulmate, but you’re sure he must have someone else. You can’t see other people’s threads, but you’re sure his is pulled tight, binding him to someone who truly deserves him, whether or not he has met them. 

Late one night, you and Gren are sitting in your study. You were showing him your latest maps, but you got distracted talking about how you have been studying basic magic. One of the spells you’ve practiced is supposed to reveal other people’s soul threads. You hold your hands over the candle flame, reciting an incantation, and for the first time, it works! You glance over at Gren, and you can now see the glowing red thread tied to his pinky finger, pooled in a pile on top of your desk, with the end sticking out, just like yours.

“What happened to your soul thread?” you ask him, wondering if he knows the same tragedy as you, of having your destiny shattered by one who chose to defy it. 

“Oh, this?” he says, moving his hand, like it’s something he barely thinks about. “I untied it.”

“You did?” you say, incredulous. He would never break the sacred bond on his own, so it must have been a mutual decision. “Who was your soulmate? Didn’t you like them?”

“Well… it was Amaya,” he says, and you’re even more surprised. Gren and Amaya are still so close, how could it be that they had a soul bond that didn’t work out? “That was how we met each other. We already had a white thread, for a fated friendship.” He holds up his other hand, showing the white thread around his pinky, leading in a straight line out the door. “The red thread is supposed to be for a romantic relationship, and Amaya is aromantic. She doesn’t feel romantic attraction to anyone, so I didn’t want to force her to do something that would make her uncomfortable. So we mutually severed the thread.”

“That’s… so noble of you,” you say, in awe of how selfless Gren is. “But don’t you miss it? What could have been?”

“There was nothing that could have been,” he insists, with an edge of anger in his voice that is so rare coming from him that it startles you. It sounds like he has had to defend his choice a thousand times before. “Neither of us would have been happy. Do you respect our choice?”

“I do,” you say. “But mine never gave me a choice. My soulmate, whoever they were, severed my thread using dark magic.” You hold up the end of your thread, which is frayed, unlike Gren’s neatly cut thread. “Giving that up by choice, it’s not something I understand. But I do think you and Amaya did the right thing.”

Gren nods. “She wanted to set me free, to find my own destiny,” he says. “And now that I know you are untethered, too… there’s something I want to ask you. We might not have a soul thread to make the choice for us. But I think it’s better that way, because we get to make the choice ourselves. I want you, and I know it’s you.” He takes your hand in his. “Would you please join your thread to mine?”

“Gren…” It’s not something you’ve heard of, choosing your soulmate. But you want to be with Gren, too, more than anything. “Yes. Of course.”

He picks up the ends of both of your threads, and ties them together in a bow. The threads glow and float into the air, and the slack disappears, as the line pulls tight between both of your fingers. “There’s only one step left to seal the bond so that it never comes undone,” Gren says, ever so careful. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” you whisper. Gren leans closer, and kisses you. A flood of elation pours through you when his lips touch yours. The part of you that has always felt empty is now made whole for the first time.


	5. Day 7: Soulmate AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2/2

Since you and Gren chose to join your soul threads together, you’re the happiest you’ve ever been. But it comes with its inconveniences. Gren still goes on dangerous missions, and he doesn’t let you come along because he is so protective of you, even though your navigational skills could help him stay safe. You always worried about him when he went away on missions, even before when you were just friends, but now it causes you physical pain. When he is far away from you, the red string binding your souls pulls tight, and it aches like your heart is being ripped from your body. Not to mention the sleepless nights when you can’t stop worrying about him, watching which direction the thread pulls and comparing it to your maps, trying to find out where he is, what dangers he could be facing. At least as long as the string is tight, you know that he is alive. A sealed bond like yours can only be broken by death.

On the night when he is supposed to return, you wait at the city gates. He promised to arrive by sunset, but the sky is black and no one has come through the gates. It could be days or even weeks before he gets back. You are about to head home and try to rest, when you hear the sound of hooves on pavement in the distance. You look up, squinting into the darkness. Then, the thread on your finger droops a little before pulling tight again, the pain lessens slightly, and you know it’s him. 

The horses walk through the gates, into the light of the lanterns. Leading the way is Amaya, but you don’t see Gren by her side as you were expecting, and your heart races. She comes closer, and you see arms wrapped around her waist, the top of Gren’s ginger hair peeking out from behind her shoulder, and you realize that he’s riding with her because he must be unconscious, or worse. “Gren!” you scream, and run towards them. 

Amaya nudges him awake, and helps him dismount from her horse. His body feels limp as Amaya practically hands him into your arms. He sinks to his knees, and you sit down too, moving to cradle his head against your shoulder. Amaya gives you a nod, an acknowledgement of her gratitude to you for taking care of Gren. Then, she rides off into the town to find help.

Gren awakens with a cough. “Sorry I’m late,” he says. “We got a little lost…” 

“It’s okay. What matters is you’re here now, you’re safe,” you say, rubbing your thumb along his cheek. He’s covered in grime, like ash sticking to sweat. “If I had come with you, you wouldn’t have gotten lost–”

“No,” he insists, placing a finger to your lips, a gesture he picked up from Amaya. “If you were there, we’d still be lost. You know why?” He holds up his hand, the one with the red thread. The little bow he tied in the middle is visible now, halfway between you. “This is the reason I need you to be here for me to come home to. I followed the thread, and that was what got us out of danger.” He links his pinky with yours, so that only the bow is showing. “You’re my map home.”


	6. Day 8: Slow Morning

The sun has climbed to just the right angle to shine through the circular window in the attic bedroom of the cabin, and you stir awake. Outside, the autumn wind is a brisk chill, but inside the cabin, underneath the pile of quilts, it is toasty and warm. You snuggle closer to Gren, pressing your face between his shoulder blades. He’s much taller than you, but he likes to be the little spoon, feeling comfortable when he’s nestled in your arms. 

His breath is still slow and even, meaning he’s still fast asleep. You take this opportunity to press your lips against the freckles on his bare back. They cluster around his shoulder blades and neck, but they are sprinkled all over, like stars in the night sky swirling together in constellations. 

The tickling touch wakes him, but he only stirs slightly. He rolls over onto his back, then seems to fall back asleep with a light snore. The golden sunbeams from the window fall upon his face, catching in the strands of his bright red hair and making it glow like embers. You take a moment to run your fingers through his hair, then pull the blankets down and extricate yourself from his arms. It’s difficult to pry yourself away from the warmth of the bed, but you need to make breakfast.

You walk downstairs to the kitchen, still sleepy as you focus on making eggs. You’re lucky that you and Gren are both morning people, and breakfast people. Well, some days you’re more of a morning person than he is, but it still makes your day when you get to make breakfast for him, not out of any sort of obligation but just because you can. 

You feel his arms wrap around your waist and his chin rest upon your shoulder. He usually shows up once the smell of your cooking permeates through the house. You lean back against his chest, and reach your hand up behind his head. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” you say.

“Why’d you leave me?” he mumbles in a teasing tone. 

“I thought that we should have something to eat. We can go back to bed after,” you reply. You pick up a piece of egg on the fork you’re using to stir and pass it over your shoulder. Gren opens his mouth and takes a bite. 

“Mmm… I think I can stay awake for a little while,” he says. He sways back and forth slowly while he holds you around the waist, basking in the late morning sunlight and domestic bliss.


	7. Day 9: Black Tie Date

The midnight blue skirt of your dress swirls around your feet, the glitter sparkling in the lights. You barely avoid tripping on the hem as Gren spins you in a circle around him. He looks irresistibly handsome in his black suit, with a dark blue bow tie to match your dress and his eyes. You could easily spend all night staring at him, but the two of you are on an important espionage mission, and you need to focus.

A slow song starts, and you lean against Gren’s chest, swaying back and forth to the beat. It’s difficult to dance in six-inch heels, and your feet are grateful for the music slowing down. However, you don’t regret wearing the heels, because they make it easier for you to rest your head on Gren’s shoulder, and whisper in his ear without making it look too obvious.

“I thought we were trying not to attract attention,” you tease.

“What are you talking about?” he says.

“When you were dancing with me like that, all eyes were on us,” you tell him.

He trails his fingers up your back, above the seam of the strapless dress, and rests his hand against the bare skin of your shoulder blade. “Well, when you’re dressed like this,” Gren says, “it’s no wonder that I’m not the only one who can’t keep my eyes off you.”

“Stop,” you groan, burying your face in his collar. “We’re supposed to be focused on the mission.”

“Okay, focusing,” Gren says, making a show of glancing around the crowd. “Do you see Lord Viren anywhere?”

“No,” you reply.

“Then who are you to tell me that we can’t enjoy ourselves for a little longer, hm?” Gren says, pressing a kiss to your neck.


	8. Day 10: Movie Date

You walk into the lobby of the movie theater, having just handed the usher your ticket. Your crush, Gren, asked you to meet him at the movies, and you’re excited for what you think is your first date with him. He didn’t say it was a date, but asking you to the movies is pretty obvious, right?

You walk up to the concession stand and see Gren, and then your heart drops into the pit of your stomach. He’s standing there with a girl. She’s taller than you, with short dark hair, and judging by her posture, she’s extremely comfortable around him. 

Was this not a date after all? Best case, he brought a friend because he saw it as a casual hangout and not a date, but that just means you need to turn up your flirt game on him. Worst case, she’s his girlfriend, and you’ve been misreading the signals between you two all along. If there’s a possibility that Gren is taken, your heart preemptively begins to break, but you muster up a strong face when Gren waves you over. 

“Hi, y/n,” Gren greets you. “This is my friend Amaya.” Amaya waves, and then holds out her hand. Shaking hands seems overly formal, but her intimidating aura compels you to do it anyway. He introduced her as his friend. Maybe all hope is not lost. 

You follow the two of them down the hall to your theater. When you walked up, it looked like they were having a conversation, though you were too far away to hear, but since you arrived, they have both gone silent. “She seems quiet,” you whisper to Gren.

“Amaya is deaf, but she’s got a loud personality,” Gren comments. Amaya glances over at him, and elbows him in the arm. Gren jokingly yelps and rubs his arm, and then amends, “And she can read lips, so watch out.”

You laugh to yourself, but the uneasy vibe still doesn’t slip past your notice. Gren isn’t his usual easygoing self around you; he seems nervous. Maybe he is worried that you and Amaya won’t mesh well? If his friend doesn’t approve of you, you won’t stand a chance. 

You enter the cinema, and shuffle through the aisle past people’s knees to find three seats in a row. You sit down next to Gren, and Amaya is on the other side of him. He’s turned towards her and they seem to be talking in sign language, which you don’t understand, but by the looks of their expressions, Gren is hesitant about something and Amaya is encouraging him. 

The lights go down and the movie starts, but you aren’t paying any attention, and even the subtitles don’t help you follow the plot. You are too busy wondering what Gren and Amaya were talking about. You’re so lost in thought that you are startled when you feel pressure on your shoulder. You turn your head, and notice that Gren’s head is resting on top of your shoulder.

The slight shift of your shoulders causes him to flinch back from you and straighten his posture. “Um… sorry,” he mutters. “Was that okay?”

“It’s okay!” you insist. “I… I liked it.” You hope that the darkness of the theater hides your blushing.

“Oh… okay.” Gren’s head settles back down upon your shoulder, and you make more of an effort to stay still this time. That isn’t hard, since your heart is racing and you feel like you’re paralyzed with nerves. He’s touching you, and it feels so intimate, and you want to revel in it, but you still have no idea what to make of this situation. 

“Gren? Are we on a date?” you dare to ask, whispering in his ear so that Amaya doesn’t notice your lips moving.

“I wanted this to be a date. But then I got so nervous about being alone with you that I almost bailed. I brought Amaya along to be my moral support,” Gren confesses.

Relief rushes through you, along with more confusion. You can’t believe that Gren would be nervous about going on a date with you, when you’re the one who’s been getting butterflies about him since the start! “Is that what you were talking about earlier?” you ask.

“Yeah. Just now, I told her that I wanted to put my head on your shoulder, and she told me to just go for it. So I did,” Gren explained matter-of-factly. You giggle, and then reach your hand over to pat his head, and run your hands through his silky hair. He pushes his head into your hand and hums happily. 

Amaya taps her hand on Gren’s knee and points her finger at the screen. Whether she could tell what you were saying or not, she noticed that you weren’t paying attention to the movie, and she is not amused.


	9. Day 13: High School AU

You’ve never been the most involved in school activities. You prefer to keep to yourself, reading books in the library at lunch. So the first time you show up to the Pizza Making Club, the other students are surprised to see you there. You make up an excuse about wanting to have more extracurricular activities on your college application, but really, the only reason you’re there is to cozy up to the club president, Gren. You’ve had a crush on him for years, but since he’s always busy running this club and generally being popular, you’ve never had a chance to make a move on him. And he’s a senior, so this year is your last chance.

The best way you can think of to get his attention is to take on more club responsibilities than even the veteran members. You’re the one who drives them to the store or picks up snacks for after-school meetings. After a few months, your hard work pays off. Hours past sunset, you and Gren are the only ones left in the classroom, making posters for your club’s booth at the school fair. The only sound in the room is the stroking of paintbrushes against paper, until Gren decides to break the silence.

“Hey, y/n, can I ask you a question?” he says.

You bite your lip. This could finally be the moment when he admits his feelings for you, and you’ll get to tell him that the feeling is mutual. “Yes,” you say breathlessly.

Gren’s blue eyes are so sincere that you feel like they are drilling into your soul when he asks, “Will you run for club president for next year?”

You blink in surprise. That was not what you were expecting. “I, um… what?”

“I’m sorry,” Gren says, self-consciously fidgeting with his hands as he begins rambling. “I mean, I’m graduating this year. Everyone I started the club with has graduated already, and no one has expressed any interest in keeping the club alive after I leave. But you’re the most dedicated member we’ve had in years. I know you’re only going to be here for one more year, too, but… I really want to pass on the torch to you.”

“Gren…” you say. “I’m flattered, but I don’t think I would be the right one to carry on your legacy. I don’t even like pizza that much.”

“You don’t?” Gren asks, with an incredulous expression on his face, like he’s personally offended. “Then why did you join the club?”

“I… well…” Your face flushes, and you feel your throat choking up around the words. “I joined because I have a crush on you, and I wanted to spend more time with you,” you confess.

Gren’s brows are still furrowed in an unreadable expression. “Then why didn’t you just tell me?” he asks. “You didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”

“I didn’t know how else to talk to you, since you always seemed so busy with this club,” you explain.

“I wish you had just told me that from the start. Now I’m so confused. I feel like you didn’t even care about the club at all…” He looks despondent, his lips bent in a frown.

“I do care about it if you’re passionate about it!” you try to defend yourself. “I’ll even be club president if you want me to!”

“I don’t want to force you to do it if you don’t want to. I’ll find someone else to run the club, don’t worry about it.” His expression softens, and a blush tinges his freckled cheeks. “Now about the other thing you said…”

You don’t want to get your hopes up. You’re getting a lot of mixed signals from him, and you feel like you’ve betrayed his trust. Still, the way he looks at you is intense, and you brush your hair behind your ear in what you hope is a flirty manner. “Yeah?”

“You’re welcome to keep hanging out at the club if you want. But even if you don’t, I’d still like to spend some time getting to know you, outside of the club,” he says. “Does… does that sound good?”

An uncontainable grin breaks across your face. “Yes. That sounds perfect.”


	10. Day 14: Royalty AU

You’re sketching in your room in the castle, when you hear pounding on your door like it’s about to fly off its hinges. It swings open, and in stumbles Prince Gren, who shoves the door closed behind him before he offers any explanation for his sudden appearance and harried expression.

“Prince Gren!” you exclaim. “What are you doing here?”

“Hide me,” he gasps, evidently deciding that your desk is a suitable hiding place and crawling underneath it.

“What is going on?” you demand.

“I’m supposed to give my speech today,” he confesses. “Princes are supposed to give speeches all the time like it’s nothing. But I’m not ready.”

“You practiced, didn’t you?” you ask him. You know he did; he must have read the speech to you a dozen times. You only intend to remind him of how prepared he is.

“Until my throat hurt,” Gren confirms. “But I’m only good at projecting authority when it’s someone else’s. When I’m the one saying the words, I don’t know why anyone would bother to listen.”

You lean down from your chair and place both of your hands on his shoulders. “I don’t believe that. You’re the person I admire most out of anyone. I’ve seen your bravery, and I think everyone else will see it too.” He shyly looks away from you, but you place your fingers under his chin and tilt his head up to look him directly in the eyes. “And for what it’s worth, I’ll always believe in you.”

“I… Thank you,” Gren says, seeming even more flustered than he was before. He pushes himself to his feet, and rubs the back of his head bashfully, his cheeks glowing with a pink blush underneath his freckles.

Then, someone else knocks on your door. One of the guards calls out from the hall, “Your Highness? Are you in there?”

“Um… yes, I’ll be right there,” Gren responds. He turns back to you, and says, “I have to go. Thank you so much.”

“Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do great,” you reassure him.

Gren smiles at you over his shoulder as he turns to open the door. “Yeah. I think I will.”


End file.
